Biochar stoves are an exciting new technology that reduce poverty, improve health, curb climate change, increase food security and decreas desertification.
How? Biochar stoves gasify waste biomass such as grass, husks or dried manure to produce heat for cooking. The charcoal byproduct, biochar, is a carbon-negative soil amendment that increases water and nutrient retention thus increasing soil’s adaptability to the extreme floods and droughts of climate change.
Biochar Stoves:The Commercialization and Advantages
1. THE COMMERCIALIZATION AND ADVANTAGES OF
BIOCHAR STOVES
AMANDA JOY RAVENHILL ETHOS
BIOCHAR ASSOCIATION JANUARY 28, 2012
2. WHY I LOVE BIOCHAR
Third Culture Kid- Diverse world-views
MBA in Sustainability, Bucky Fuller and Systems Thinking
IEA- we have 5 years to turn this ship around! RESOURCES: IEA
3. WHAT IS A BIOCHAR PRODUCING MICRO-
GASIFIER COOKSTOVE?
(aka a Biochar Stove)
4. =
THE CHEMISTRY OF PYROLYSIS
Combustions of gases, not biomass
This all happens in any open fire, stoves organize and control
the pyrolysis so that is happens uniformly
5. CHAR PRODUCTION
You must quench the char before it gasifies to ash.
This is Miriam and her Estufa Finca in Costa Rica with one
week’s worth of char
6. WHAT IS BIOCHAR?
a highly porous and stable charcoal that is applied to soil
7. THE SECRET OF EL DORADO
The Amazon was once home to cities of millions
The soil that supported these cities is Terra Preta (Dark
Earth) and contains charred kitchen waste. RESOURCES: BBC
8. COMPOSITION
Biochar is high in stable amorphous graphite domains, as in it
has many tiny pockets.
Similar to activated carbon, acts as a soil catalyst.
9. Decreases nutrient
run off
High cation exchange
capacity
Improves soil tilth
Carbon capture
Remediates soils of
heavy metals
BIOCHAR BENEFITS
RESOURCES: IBI
10. NOT ALL BIOCHARS ARE CREATED EQUAL
The same feedstocks can create very different chars at
different temperatures.
500 C is optimum RESOURCES: MCLAUGHLIN
13. ADVANTAGES: EMISSIONS
“Quantum leap” difference from conventional stoves
Black Carbon is second major cause of climate change
RESOURCES: GIZ Manual
14. ADVANTAGES: VALUE OF CHAR
Monitoring tool- when the stove functions well, it produces char
Cash Value- depending on local prices, $2-$10 dollars a week
Soil Value- increases resiliency to extreme weather events
15. In Costa Rica: IS IT WORTH IT?
Each stove produces about 1.5 Kilos per day of char
The char is bought back for 30 cents a kilo
Resulting in an income of .45 cents a day for the households
16. ADVANTAGES: CLIMATE SOLUTION
Offset up to 12% of GHG Reduces Black Carbon
Climate Adaptation
Carbon-negative energy RESOURCES: Nature Communications
23. WHO DOES BIOCHAR?
80 Companies - a quarter 40 Non-profits
are at a full production scale Projections: 30% growth
40 Academic Institutions
RESOURCES: Biochar Network
24. Ask for more.
PARTNERSHIPS FOR PROPER CHAR USE
UNIVERSITIES WATER FILTER COMPANY
AGRICULTURE RESEARCH SANITATION COMPANY
FERTILIZER COMPANIES
25. THE NEED FOR CHAR
CLIMATE ADAPTATION MORE ARABLE SOIL
MAKES SOIL MORE RESILIENT
FERTILIZER FOOD SECURITY
26. Questions?
and
Thank You
AMANDA JOY RAVENHILL
amanda@biocharassociation.org
linkedin.com/in/amandaravenhill
BIOCHARASSOCIATION.ORG